The purpose of this doctoral thesis is to know practices, opinions and values on contraception and fertility in urban women of Argentina in the last half of the XXth. Century in the context of the country's population policies.Three sources of data were anlysed: a) Reproductive Health Survey (poorest women in reproductive ages living in Buenos Aires Suburbs); b) Social Goals Module of Household Survey (women in reproductive ages living in 4 cities of Argentina), and c) a qualitative study, Sociocultural Aspects of Reproductive Health (women in reproductive ages with children living in Metropolitan Buenos Aires Area).The results show that half of the poorest women in conjugal union or sexual relations were using contraceptives in 1993. The preference by methods according to age shows that pills occupy the first place in all ages and the use of IUD grows when ages increases; condon and contraceptive injections follow to them in importance.Sexual, conjugal and reproductive initiation of interviwees was early, which provokes questions about the similarity with their mother's trajectory. However, indicators of change like higher education levels and contraceptive use in younger women may sustain the idea that they will tend to stop reproduction when their family reach their ideal size.Qualitative study showed that middle class women think that 3 children is enough; also they have extra-domestic aspirations (professional or personal) that exceed family life. These women see restricted their possibilities of maternity for opposed reasons to the poorest women: they have better access to the contraceptive use but their possibilities of being mothers are reduced by the conflic between that possibility and their professional development.Women of lower classes, on the contrary, showed their intention to have more children "when the little one will grow". Although the lack of resources is a disadvantage, they think that "where they eat three they eat four". The maternity desire is not contradicted with its personal accomplishments because this one happens through maternity. To have children means to gain social space, to increase the esteem, prestige and consideration, being recognized in and outside the family. To be mother implies a progress in the respect within the community and, as the children grows, increases the women's power and her future will be less uncertain.The Social Goals Module released four sociodemographics profiles in different cities.In the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires coexists diverse stages of Demographic Transition, with sociocultural and migration histories. In comparisson with the rest of 3 cities there are a lower number of children per woman, higher percentage of legal unions, educational levels and prevalence of use of contraception. In Resistencia (at the northeast of the country) there is high levels of fertility and consensual unions and low use of contraception. In Salta, at the northwest of Argentina, prevails high levels of fertility, lower levels of schooling than those of Resistencia, a little more use of contraception and a smaller weight of consensual unions. Finally, in Neuquén, at the southwest of the country, was found intermediate levels of fertility and contraception use, attributable to the favorable weight of Public Health Services.In conclusion, sociodemographic, health and cultural realities exist in Argentina that must be taken in consideration when well-being policier are designed.